Mohd. Nizar - UMNO sold off Pulau Batu Putih yet I'm ‘penderhaka' .......

Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin said that the ‘penderhaka' accusation goes back to even before the Perak constitutional crisis emerged in this first part of his interview with Malaysiakini.

How do you rate your chances in Bukit Gantang?

I would rate myself of having between 60 and 65 percent (winning chance). The reason being the guy who jumped (from PKR to Umno) is from a (state) constituency in Bukit Gantang, which is Changkat Jering. Once (Mohd) Osman (Jaliu) jumped, the repercussions on him and BN turned into an advantage for us. The other factor is that in Kuala Sepetang, (state assemblyperson) Tai Seng Ng has performed well there. Thirdly, Bukit Gantang is probably one of the most underdeveloped Malay belt.

(Also) we have already gone into the seat before the death of Roslan (Shaharum). Even before Osman jumped over, we have done preliminary work in Bukit Gantang, particularly in Changkat Jering to apologise to the voters over what their assemblyman had done.

Do you know that Bukit Gantang is where the spiritual headquarters of PAS is? I have been in that spiritual headquarters for several years now. My presence has been felt at least twice a month without fail. Every week, we have a programme there at the state level.

Bukit Gantang has always been an Umno stronghold until 2008. Umno lost because of internal rifts, which may have been mended now. How do you view the support of the Malays for you in that area?

I believe when the voters shifted (their support) from BN to Pakatan, particular in Kuala Sepetang and Changkat Jering, it showed that the Malays were ready for change. The coup d'etat has exacerbated the disgruntled feelings of frustrations, and that helped BN lose support. So I do not believe the long standing history of Malays sticking to Umno cannot be broken. We believe that through the jumping of Osman in the under-developed (and) impoverished Bukit Gantang, the Malays would say that the time for change is now. We have the support from the Malays, but I must say that there is still a lot of painful work to be done.

What are the main issues which you will raise at this by-election?

The issue of teaching of science and mathematics in English is one. The other issue of great interest for us, to the Malays, is that there is no Malay institution of higher learning in Bukit Gantang - be it a teachers training centre or MRSM (Maktab Rendah Sains Mara). There is none. Number two, there is no new Malay township. You find some small pockets in residential areas. But the area still symbolises the traditional Chinese business community. There is nothing like the Malay businesses in Ipoh or Manjung. Third, the traditional kampungs in Bukit Gantang are highly dependent on the seasonal crops of durian and palm oil. I think this has to be changed. We need a new way of looking at agriculture, from a more modern perspective.

Why the need for a Malay higher learning institution?

When there is a higher learning institution - either MRSM or community college, university - the area would automatically boost up because the whole of Malaysia would be sending their kids here. I feel that Bukit Gantang needs that kind of institution. I am not talking so much from a nationalistic standpoint - I do not have that in mind.

Umno has been portraying you as a ‘penderhaka' (traitor to sultan). How much do you think this will affect your chances?

They did that ‘penderhakaan' at three levels.

Firstly, when I mooted the idea in (last) May to replace the director of the religious department (Jamry Sury), the elements of treason had already been played out at that time. But I was purely exercising my right - the menteri besar has the full authority in terms of administration. This issue was an indication to me that ‘penderhakaan' was going to be the main platform for their attack.

Secondly, it came when government mooted the idea of issuing land titles for households. Umno attacked me and said I was a traitor to the Malay tradition. In Malay culture, ‘gadai tanah' is a crime. But Umno has been doing this many times before. As late as May, they sold off the whole island of Pulau Batu Puteh. I can cite many more examples. I manage to fend off their attacks because the decision to give land titles were made before the dissolution of the state assembly in 2008. DAP didn't have a say in this (for they never mentioned it in their manifesto). For them to say I'm treasonous and a stooge of the DAP, I think that is null and void.

Third, when I was ordered by the ruler to resign, it was a sure thing for BN to hit me. But I was cautious - I refused the instruction by Tuanku (Sultan Azlan Shah) in his own language. Initially Umno attacked me, but there are NGOs and literature groups that say that what I did does not reflect ‘penderhakaan‘.

There has been one or two stories in the past where the Malay leaders used exactly the same phrase to show their outmost respect for the institution of the palace. When they started talking about past histories, they showed that what I did was based on the outmost respect.

What happened subsequently was that a can of worms had been opened. People started talking about how Umno had committed ‘derhaka' towards the royal institution over many years. There has been files and files of recorded documents where they went against the rulers. So their accusation that I had committed ‘derhaka' is null and void. But it is an advantage to us - people are now more informed of what Umno did in the last 10 to 15 years, including the removal of immunity of the rulers, ridiculing and belittling them. They have done everything.

If you win by a narrow margin or lose, will you drop your claims as the legitimate Perak government?

Not at all! That is a separate matter... If it is a win, it encompasses everything. Even if it is a very slim majority, to me that is still an indication that people want change and the truth. But if we lose it does not affect our position as the legitimate and rightful government. The fight in the court and in the state assembly will still go on.

Are you ready to go all the way?

We are ready to go all the way. Even to the extent of meeting under the tree. As long as there is no dissolution (of the state assembly), we are the legitimate government. Under the laws and practices of the Westminster system, the government selected by the people is the official, legitimate and legal government. We will go all out.

source: malaysiakini

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